Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2132
“But put you on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Romans 13:14.
Christ must be in us before He can be on us. Divine Grace puts Christ within and enables us to put on Christ without. Christ must be in the heart by faith before He can be in the life by holiness. If you need light from a lantern, the first business is to light the candle inside it—and then, as a consequence—the light shines through to be seen of men. When Christ is formed in you, the hope of Glory—do not conceal your love to Him but put Him on in your conduct as the Glory of your hope! As you have Christ within as your Savior, the secret of your inner life, so put on Christ to be the beauty of your daily life. Let the external be brightened by the internal and this shall be to you that “armor of light” which all the soldiers of the Lord Jesus are privileged to wear.
As Christ is your Food, nourishing the inner man, so put Him on as your garments covering the outer man. “Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.” It is a very wonderful expression. It is most condescending on our Lord’s part to allow such an exhortation. Paul speaks the mind of the Holy Spirit and the word is full of meaning. Oh, for Divine Grace to learn its teaching! It is full of very solemn warning to us, for we need a covering thus divinely perfect.
Oh, for Grace to practice the command to put it on! The Apostle does not so much say, “Take up the Lord Jesus Christ and bear Him with you,” but, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and thus wear Him as the garment of your life! A man takes up his staff for a journey or his sword for a battle—but he lays these down again after a while. You are to put on the Lord Jesus as you put on your garments and thus He is to cover you and to become part and parcel of your outward appearance, surrounding your very self as a visible part of your manifest personality.
“Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This we do when we believe in Him—then we put on the Lord Jesus Christ as our robe of righteousness. It is a very beautiful picture of what faith does. Faith finds our manhood naked to its shame— faith sees that Christ Jesus is the Robe of Righteousness provided for our need. And faith, at the command of the Gospel, appropriates Him and gets the benefit of Him for it. By faith the soul covers her weakness with His strength, her sin with His atonement, her folly with His wisdom, her failure with His triumphs, her death with His life, her wanderings with His constancy.
By faith, I say, the soul hides itself within Jesus till Jesus, only, is seen and the man is seen in Him. We take not only His righteousness as being imputed to us, but we take Himself to be really ours. And so His righteousness becomes ours as a matter of fact. “By the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” His righteousness is set to our account and becomes ours because He is ours. I, though long unrighteous in myself, believe in the testimony of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ and I am accounted righteous, even as it is written, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.”
The riches of God in Christ Jesus become mine as I take the Lord Jesus Christ to be everything to me. But, you see, the text does not distinctly refer to this great matter for the Apostle is not referring to the imputed righteousness of Christ. The text stands in connection with precepts concerning matters of everyday practical life and to these it must refer. It is not justification, but sanctification that we have here. Moreover, we cannot be said to put on the imputed righteousness of Christ after we have believed, for that is upon us as soon as we believe and needs no more putting on!
The command before us is given to those who have the imputed righteousness of Christ—who are justified—who are accepted in Christ Jesus. “Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ” is a word to you that are saved by Christ and justified by His righteousness! You are to put on Christ and keep putting Him on in the sanctifying of your lives unto your God. You are, everyday, to continually more and more wear as the garment of your lives the Character of your Lord.
I will handle this subject by answering questions. First, Where are we to go for our daily garment? “Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Secondly, What is this daily garment? “Put you on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Thirdly, How are we to act towards evil when we are thus clad? “and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” And then I will finish with the consideration of the question, Why should we hasten to put on this matchless garment? For, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us put on the armor of light.”
I. May the Holy Spirit help us while we, in the first place, answer the inquiry, WHERE ARE WE TO GO FOR OUR DAILY GARMENT? Beloved, there is but one answer to all questions as to our necessities. We go to the Lord Jesus Christ for everything! To us, “Christ is All.” “He is made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption.”